


What Will the Neighbours Say?

by SamCyberCat



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Drama, Fluff, M/M, Reigisa and GoroMiho are background ships, Soulmates AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 11:18:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17487146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SamCyberCat/pseuds/SamCyberCat
Summary: It's written in the stars that when two people are meant to be, they'll find each other. And that's the law of soulmates, isn't it? So Makoto shouldn't be worried, especially not when he's been with his childhood sweetheart for as long as he can remember. But what happens if that day finally comes, only for Makoto and Haru to not be a match?





	What Will the Neighbours Say?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lonesomewriter](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonesomewriter/gifts).



> Written for lonesome-writer as part of the MakoHaru Secret Santa. They asked for Soulmates AUs and first kisses. Admittedly Soulmates AU is an area of fanfiction that I'm not too familiar with, but hopefully this venture into it will be okay. Have a good post-Christmas, everyone!

The Tachibana family had always been quite traditional and Makoto didn't see that as a bad thing. They were decent people, who treated others nicely and stayed in their lane. Any funny little ways that they had were their own, but honestly, they weren't many. The five of them were almost textbook average to the point that others would probably regard them as bland. And they liked it that way, thank you very much.

One of their family rituals were movie nights on a Friday – pretty standard by any means. Mom, Dad, Ren, Ran and Makoto would all come together to watch whatever film happened to be showing on TV that night, with Haru sometimes joining them, although he wasn't with them this evening. In the past, these movie nights would be the highlight of Makoto's week. After getting home from school on a Friday, it felt like the right way to start the weekend. He also just really liked cheesy old films, where the guy and the girl would get together at the end and it'd be obvious from the start that they were going to. From as far back as he could remember, Makoto would always root for that to happen.

But lately... he'd been struggling to enjoy it as much.

He couldn't let his family know. It wasn't their fault, after all, and the last thing Makoto wanted to do was make them feel bad about something they'd always done together. But now that Makoto was well into high school, he was starting to worry that life might not be as simple as the films he'd adored growing up.

On the screen in front of them, the two protagonists were sharing their fated kiss after the final battle against... some villain or other (Makoto never paid much attention to the battle parts). As they came together, their whole bodies were surrounded by a pulsing yellow light and when they parted, they held up their arms to see that... they were a match! As expected, the marks on each of their wrists glowed and then changed colour from a dull brown to a deep red. But contrary to seeking out medical professionals to find out what was wrong with them, this was exactly the outcome that the two protagonists (and the viewers) had been hoping for.

“Soulmates!” Ran cheered, pumping her fists in the air.

“They're a match! I knew they'd be a match!” Ren chimed.

Usually Makoto would be joining them, since this was the part of the film they'd all been waiting for, but this time he couldn't bring himself to give even a half-hearted cheer. Which didn't go unnoticed by the twins. They turned their heads to look at him curiously.

“Isn't that great, Makoto?” Ran asked, “Please don't tell me that you wanted Shizuka to end up with that Otogi guy instead. Then she wouldn't have got her match.”

“O-oh no, it's not that...” stammered Makoto, before looking towards his parents, “I was just... thinking about Mom and Dad a-and how they're a match. I mean, we can never hear that story too many times... right?”

Anything to distract from Makoto's own worries, even if this choice of distraction wouldn't help in the long run.

“You kids don't need to hear that old tale again,” said their mom, “We can't tell it as well the movies can, since it's nothing fancy. When your dad and I started going out, it just sort of... happened. Being together felt right.” She rubbed the red mark on her wrist fondly as she spoke.

“That's how all the best couples come about,” Ran boasted, “Everyone we know met their soulmate like that.”

“Not everyone...” said Ren, seeming almost nervous to correct his sister, “There's this boy a couple of years below us in school and his parents aren't a match. They came to sports day last week and they didn't have any marks on their wrists at all. But they weren't even trying to hide it... Is that really okay?”

“Ugh. Well, they're obviously not soulmates,” Ran said, with a roll of her eyes, “If I didn't get a match, then I'd never show my wrists again.”

“Not everyone can be with their soulmates, kids,” said their dad, drawing all three of his kids' attention onto him, “Most people get a match, of course, but there's lots of reasons why someone might not be with the person they're meant to be with. Perhaps their true partner passed away or they just never had the chance to meet. We shouldn't judge people without knowing their stories.”

“I guess...” Ran mumbled.

...No, this conversation hadn't made Makoto feel any better about the whole thing. He lapsed into silence and let his family continue to talk aimlessly about people they knew who hadn't got a match. Under his thick jumper, Makoto could practically feel his own birthmark, as brown and boring as ever. He'd never gotten so much as even a tingly sensation from it to suggest that he might be close to finding his soulmate. When he was younger, that never bothered him. But he was a third year in high school now and around him, his classmates were all setting out and making these discoveries about themselves, while Makoto wouldn't even take the risk.

What if he had that first kiss only to find that his birthmark disappeared forever?

What if he... didn't get a match?

 

* * *

 

Monday came around all too quickly and Makoto found himself back at Iwatobi High, the very place where all of these worries stemmed from. Perhaps the reason why soulmates were on his mind so much lately was because two people in their swim club had recently made a match...

...But it wasn't Makoto and Haru.

“Can you show me again?” Makoto asked.

“Are you suuure, Mako-chan? The last time I showed you, you went all quiet and moody. I can't deal with a moody Mako-chan all day!” Nagisa replied.

“I'm fine, really,” lied Makoto, “I just want to look at the pattern.”

“Well, okay! Since you asked,” said Nagisa, giving him a board smile, “I've been showing it off all weekend – Nanako's been so jealous!”

Nagisa pulled back his sleeve to reveal the delicate red pattern that decorated his wrist. The pattern showed the swimming penguins that the Hazuki family were known for. Makoto could always remember Nagisa having that pattern, ever since they were kids. Only now the penguins were red instead of brown and had been joined by a swam of butterflies, flitting artfully between them. Whatever cosmic force designed soulmate marks had a eye for detail. Makoto gazed upon it for a few moments, allowing himself to feel a little choked up.

“It's so beautiful... I'm very happy for you both,” he said.

Because he was happy for them – really, he was! It was just that... he also felt a little jealous that both Nagisa and Rei were younger than him, yet they had discovered their soulmates so quickly.

“Pretty romantic, huh?” Nagisa said, “We kissed behind the changing rooms and then just... BAM! Flashing lights everywhere, tingly feeling in our toes, burning wrist and suddenly we're soulmates! We got in trouble from Gou-chan for skipping practise like that, but it was totally worth it.”

“So that's what it feels like...” Makoto said, with a wistful sigh. Just like the movies, from the sound of it.

Nagisa narrowed his eyes and grinned; “Sure... but you'll find that out as soon as you kiss Haru-chan.”

The reaction Makoto gave was so big that he almost fell off the wall they were both sitting on. Nagisa howled with laughter, which didn't help matters at all. Once Makoto regained his balance, he gave Nagisa a firm pout.

“Y-you shouldn't talk like you already know it's going to happen that way...” Makoto scolded him.

“But it totally is! Everyone knows it, too,” insisted Nagisa, “You two have been practically joined at the hip for as long as I've known you – there's no way you won't be a match.”

“That's what everyone says...” Makoto agreed.

Now if only he could agree with them. Makoto and Haru had indeed been together since they were both very young and their fondness of one another was no secret. Everyone who knew them talked as if the two of them being soulmates was a foregone conclusion – all it would take was the kiss. And yet... part of Makoto was filled with dread for what might happen when that day arrived.

He'd watched those cheesy films for so many years, all of them detailing the feelings of finding your soulmate in such floral ways. You'd feel drawn together, almost as if it was magnetic. Haru and Makoto ticked that box. You'd feel good when you were around each other, in a way that neither of you felt with anyone else. Haru and Makoto ticked that box, too. You'd look at each other and just know that you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together. Well, Makoto couldn't speak for Haru, but he knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Haru. And lastly, even before the destined kiss, you'd feel the air fill with magical sparks whenever the two of you got close to having a special moment, with the sky around you twinkling with bright lights.

...That was the part where Haru and Makoto fell down. They'd been close to sharing kisses a fair few times now, but there'd never been any mystical light show hanging in the air when they did. Whereas with Nagisa and Rei, the sparks were so bright that sometimes even the art club would come to the pool to paint pictures inspired by their very unique chemistry. Gou had to keep chasing the art club off so Makoto and the others could get swim practise in.

When faced with the all too obvious signs in the sky that Nagisa and Rei were a match, for the first time ever, Makoto found himself worrying that Haru and him might not be. He didn't want to make any of his friends feel bad by saying so, but the thought just wouldn't leave his head.

 

* * *

 

When the school day ended, Makoto waited for Haru as usual. Their routine was set in stone – they'd always walk home together. No amount of destiny had any sway over that, it just happened like clockwork.

While he waited, Makoto tugged back his sleeve to look at his mark. The Tachibana orca was huge and took up most of his wrist. It was a very obvious mark and it hadn't changed since Makoto was born. Yet somehow it seemed almost sad, as if it was swimming away from what it wanted...

“Me too...” Makoto whispered.

“Who are you talking to?”

Makoto jumped with a start, despite knowing who the voice belonged to. Haru was so sleek and silent, it wasn't hard for him to sneak up on someone, even when he wasn't trying to. He raised an eyebrow at Makoto, obviously amused by his reaction, even if his face didn't show it. Makoto knew Haru well enough to know that.

“I was just... talking to myself,” Makoto said, not able to come up with even a lame excuse.

“To that?” Haru asked, pointing at Makoto wrist, “There's no point in talking to that.”

“So you say,” said Makoto, with a nervous chuckle, “I wish I could have your confidence about it, Haru. I've never seen you worry about your birthmark even once.”

“Why should I worry about it?” said Haru, as the two of them began their usual walk home, “It doesn't worry about me. It's just there.”

“But it does worry about you,” argued Makoto, “It's there to guide you in making the right choice for what could be the biggest decision of your life, Haru.”

Sometimes Haru's lack of concern over the matter worked Makoto up even more than his own worries about it did. For all Haru was a spiritual person where his dearly departed grandmother was concerned, when it came to birthmarks and soulmates, Haru was entirely uninterested.

“Then it can offer me advice if it wants, but my decision is still my own,” Haru insisted, “Right now, the biggest decision in my life is what I'm going to make for dinner.”

Makoto snorted; “You'll just have mackerel, like always. Sometimes you should mix things up a bit, Haru-chan.”

“Enough with the -chan already,” said Haru, “And I like things the way they are. Why should I need to change?”

Somehow, listening to Haru's unwavering confidence made Makoto feel more at ease in turn. Yes, perhaps there weren't lights in the sky and Makoto's skin didn't burn, but being here, walking with Haru, still made him feel like there wasn't anywhere else in the world that he wanted to be. As that calming wave washed over him, Makoto allowed his guard to drop.

“You're right, just so long as you're getting a balanced diet, you can eat as much mackerel as you want,” Makoto agreed, “Besides, my mom will keep checking on you to make sure you're looking after yourself.”

They both knew that was the case. Ever since middle school, when Haru's struggling to live on his own had made him ill, Makoto's family had always worried just that little bit extra for him. These days Haru was much better at living alone – Makoto couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen Haru's parents – but that didn't stop them from worrying about him. And Haru didn't try to stop them, either.

“I'll be fine,” assured Haru, “But if you're so worried, then why don't you stop over?”

“But it's a school night,” Makoto gasped.

“You'd just come call on me tomorrow anyway,” Haru pointed out, “And we both know your parents won't mind.”

“Hah... you're right about that. Okay, I'll check with them when I get home and then come over to your place,” said Makoto.

Hopefully people wouldn't talk too much, but Makoto knew that anyone who got wind of it would talk. It felt like Haru and Makoto were a ticking time bomb and their neighbours wanted to know what would happen when that bomb went off.

What if nothing happened...?

No, Makoto couldn't let himself think like that. Everything would happen. It would be exactly like how Makoto had always dreamed it would be. And besides, they were just two friends having a sleepover tonight – nothing more had to come of it than that.

 

* * *

 

When Haru opened his door he was greeted by a smiling Makoto with an overnight bag tucked under his arm. Haru stepped aside to let him through and Makoto walked in, giving the air a sniff as he did. A familiar smell made his stomach grumble.

“That's not mackerel,” he commented, sounding almost optimistic.

“Since you were staying, I made green curry instead,” Haru replied.

“Haruuu! You're too good to me!” Makoto cheered.

He dropped his bag on the floor and grabbed Haru in a tight hug, which Haru just let happen. Now that Makoto was so much broader than he had been when they were kids, there was very little that Haru could do to stop these hugs, not that he wanted to try. They stayed together for a few moments and then when they parted, Makoto was beaming. For the first time in a while, his worries about soulmates were truly forgotten.

“I'll go set up the kotatsu,” said Makoto, “Got to make myself useful, right?”

“Makoto is useful just by being here,” Haru assured him.

“You're too kind. But seriously I'll go get ready if you want to finish off the curry,” Makoto said.

There was an ulterior motive of course – Makoto was just eager for dinner. His parents' cooking was okay (although no Tachibana had ever truly mastered being in the kitchen...), but nothing compared to Haru's cooking. Like most artists, Haru was finicky and preferred to only cook what he wanted, but Makoto was blessed by being someone who Haru would change his menu for.

Makoto picked his bag back up and carried it through to the living room, setting it down at the side, before moving to lay their cutlery out on the kotatsu. He knew Haru's house like the back of his hand and thus was easily able to find everything they needed. By the time Haru carried through the tray with two steaming bowls of curry on, Makoto was eagerly waiting at his usual side of the kotatsu, hands in his lap and a grin on his face.

“It smells so good!” he gasped.

Haru made a small grunt in response, but from the smirk on his lips, he clearly appreciated the compliment. The two bowls were set down in front of them and Makoto didn't waste any time in getting to work clearing off his plate. He was finished before Haru was even half way through so he leaned back, resting his weight on his arms and letting out a sigh.

“This is just the best... I hope we get to do this for a long time,” he said.

“We will,” Haru replied, his resolve as firm as ever.

It would be nice to think so. Despite all of his worries, these last couple of years had been the best that Makoto could remember. Reuniting with Nagisa and later Rin, meeting Rei and Gou, becoming friendly rivals with the Samezuka team and seeing so many people make strides towards their futures... It was all very inspiring. Most days, Makoto didn't want his last year in high school to come to an end, even if he knew that their time was running out.

“Do you think so? When we go to university, do you think we'll still be doing this?” Makoto asked.

“We'll both be in Tokyo, so we can come see each other every day,” said Haru.

“But Tokyo's so big, Haru. What if we live far away from each other?” Makoto said.

“We'll make sure that doesn't happen. And even if it does, I'd travel as far as I have to for Makoto,” Haru insisted.

“Aww, Haru...!”

He just couldn't help himself. Makoto got up from where he'd been sitting and went around the table to give Haru another hug. But Haru was sneaky and this had been exactly what he was waiting for.

“Since you're up, do you want to do the dishes?” Haru asked.

Makoto pouted; “So mean, Haru. I was going to offer to do them anyway, it's only fair.”

With that, Makoto pulled away to gather up their used cutlery, leaving only what Haru was still using to finish off his own meal. He headed through to the kitchen, where the pan used to cook the curry was already filled with water in the sink to help it clean easier. Makoto ran some fresh water through and started washing. Before he'd finished, Haru had joined him with the last of the cutlery, slipping his bowl into the sink as Makoto worked.

“It's getting dark already, I'll go setup the beds,” said Haru, looking out of the window to where the pinky-orange evening sky was deepening to blue.

“Sounds good, I'll be through in a minute,” Makoto replied.

When he'd finished washing, Makoto drained the sink and spent a few minutes drying the dishes, before coming back through to the living room, since they often slept there when Makoto stayed over. The kotatsu had been shifted to aside and now two futons had neatly been laid out next to each other in the centre of the room. Everything Haru did was neat – Makoto admired him for that.

He settled down in his bed, snuggling under the blanket and then looking out of the screen into the back garden. The stars were starting to come out now and they had a good view of the night sky.

“This is nice...” he said, partly to himself.

Haru picked up on this and let Makoto sit in silence for a while. They were a quiet pair (except when Makoto decidedly wasn't), so there was a lot of times when they would comfortably sit together like this, not needing conversation to fill the air.

Yet it was always Makoto who would fill that silence first. He turned to Haru, taking in how serene he looked just watching a sky that he'd seen every night from this same house for almost all of his life.

“We can come back in the summer. We won't be gone forever,” he said, “And in the meantime, I bet we'll make lots of new traditions in Tokyo and become fond of living there, too. Maybe we'll even want to stay.”

“We'll see,” Haru replied, “I don't feel as worried about it as I did before.”

He turned to look at Makoto now, his expression filled with a familiar fondness. How could they ever worry about losing each other when they'd come so far? Makoto felt silly for ever worrying about that. As they sat together, Makoto feeling comfortably full from the dinner that Haru had made for him, a burst of affection washed over him.

Yes, this was what both of them wanted.

Makoto pressed in close and he felt Haru do the same. His eyes fluttered closed and before he knew it, their lips were touching. It was a simple kiss, not one that Makoto could describe with fancy words, but one that did everything that they wanted it to do. Sweet and understated, just like the two of them. When they parted, Makoto's ears felt very red. Haru never really blushed, but there was definitely a flustered air about him.

“Thank you...” Haru whispered.

“I should be thanking you,” said Makoto.

“We can thank each other.”

With that, Haru shuffled across. Makoto wrapped his arms around him and the two of them stayed like that. Somehow, Makoto just knew that they'd only be using the one futon tonight. Because it had finally happened – Haru and Makoto had expressed their feelings for each other openly. This simple moment had been everything Makoto had ever wanted. He couldn't feel happier than he did right now.

 

* * *

 

If not for Haru prompting him to get up, Makoto would've slept in the next morning. He rolled over, but Haru kept prodding him until Makoto finally rose from the bed and grumbled that he'd go get ready, stumbling to the bathroom before Haru had the chance to occupy it.

He pulled himself up to the mirror and after a few false starts, managed to grab the toothbrush that he always kept at Haru's house. The world started to come into focus as he stood there, brushing his teeth. His arm moved back and forth, yet... something was different. Makoto stared into the mirror, but it took him a while to figure out what it was. His face looked normal, his bed hair was as wild as ever, his pyjamas were a pair he'd had for years and his toothbrush was-

...Wait.

As Makoto's eyes were drawn towards his arm, suddenly he realised what it was. The bottom dropped out of his stomach as he suddenly remembered the implications of what had happened last night. Haru and Makoto had kissed for the first time which meant that...

Makoto tugged his sleeve down, knowing what he was going to find, but not wanting to lose hope until he'd seen it for definite. His orca birthmark would usually be peeking out from his sleeve while he brushed his teeth, but today it wasn't and that was because...

...it wasn't there at all.

“Haru!”

He fled the bathroom, eyes wide and toothpaste all over his cheek. Haru was getting ready in the living room and looked across in mild confusion when Makoto came through. But Makoto didn't have time for Haru to figure out what was wrong, he grabbed him by the shoulders and stared at him, face filled with terror.

“It's gone! It's gone, Haru! My birthmark is gone!” Makoto wailed.

“Yes, mine is as well,” said Haru, far too calm given the situation “I suppose that our birthmarks must've had bad taste.”

“Th-this isn't the time for joking, Haru! It means we're not a match...!” sobbed Makoto, “But I love you...”

“And I love you as well. I know that I do. So that is enough to mean we're a match,” Haru stated.

“Not according to the cosmos! Not according to, like, everyone we know!” Makoto let go of Haru, gesturing to his blank wrist; “This won't come back! You only get one chance with this and now it's gone! We're going to have to cover our wrists for the rest of our lives and w-we're on a swim club...! You're training to go pro, there's no way to hide this! I've brought shame onto your future...”

“No, you haven't,” said Haru, more forcefully than usual, “I don't care what people think when they look at my wrist. I love Makoto and I'll not hide anything away, because I know that's true.”

“But I do care what people think!”

After saying this, Makoto covered his mouth. But it was too late. That fact was out in the open now. Makoto cared about what other people thought to the point that it hurt him. He couldn't bare the thought of going through the rest of his life being judged... What was he going to say to his friends, to his family...! Tears bubbled up in Makoto's eyes.

“I'm sorry, Haru. I have to go...”

He practically stumbled out of the living room, shrugging off Haru's hand as his partner... no, not his destined partner... as Haru attempted to get him to stay. He was outside before he realised what he was doing and then he just ran.

 

* * *

 

“Aren't you cold going out dressed like that?”

Makoto zoned back in from wherever he'd drifted off to and realised that, yes, he was absolutely freezing. Which wasn't surprising, given that he was sitting on a bench wearing only his pyjamas. In his haste to flee Haru's house, he hadn't even put on any shoes. It was only right now that he was feeling the effects of this. His feet stung from where he'd been running, but his heart still felt too heavy to care.

Now that Makoto was back with it, he took in his surroundings. He was almost at the edge of town, sitting next to a quiet road where hardly anyone came at this time of day. Uh, whatever time of day it was. Makoto wasn't actually sure. The sun was high, so it was probably afternoon already and that definitely meant that Makoto was late for school. He'd never skipped class in his life, yet right now that the was last thing he was concerned about.

It was a good thing one person came this way, though. The concerned face of his old swim coach, Goro Sasabe, greeted Makoto when he looked up. Sasabe was leaning against his bicycle, probably having been out for a morning (afternoon?) cycle before seeing Makoto out here in such a state, instead of at school.

“Coach... I, uh...”

Words failed him. Sasabe cocked an eyebrow.

“Not like you to skip class. What's wrong?” Sasabe asked.

He rested his bicycle against the side of the bench and then sat down next to Makoto, worry etched across his face. Makoto barely knew where to start explaining what had happened, but he gave it his best shot.

“I was here because... you see, uh... Haru and I kissed and-”

“Oh well, it's about time, isn't it?” Sasabe interrupted, “But I thought you'd be happy about that. Not moping out here.”

Makoto shook his head; “I would be happy... I was happy, it's just...”

He decided to let his birthmark do the talking. Or lack thereof. He pulled his pyjama sleeve back so Sasabe could see his wrist, not even daring to look down at it himself. He flinched and stared off to the side instead, bracing himself for Sasabe's exclamation of horror upon learning that Haru and Makoto weren't the fated soulmates that everyone thought they were.

But it didn't come. Instead, Sasabe just made a dismissive noise and Makoto hurriedly pulled his sleeve back over his wrist again.

“Is that all?” Sasabe said, “You're worried because you didn't get a match?”

“Of course I'm worried!” retorted Makoto, “It's a big deal! Haru's the one that I wanted to be with, the only person I've ever felt this way about! The whole town expected that we'd be a match, but we... we aren't!”

“But you are a match,” said Sasabe, “The first part – about how Haru's the one you want to be with, that's what's important. Not what some mark on your arm says. So long as you two know you're happy together, then what else matters?”

“People will be disappointed...” Makoto mumbled, picturing his family and friends as he said it.

“Maybe some folks, yeah. Nothing you can do to stop that kind of snobbery. But the people who matter won't give a damn and you'll find that out soon enough,” Sasabe said, “Honestly, the world puts too much focus on those stupid marks. Especially where you kids are concerned. It's not easy going into the world expecting that your whole future is gonna be determined by one kiss.”

“Don't most people get a match...?” asked Makoto. That was what his family had been saying the other night and what Makoto had always believed.

“Eh, I'd say it's about fifty-fifty,” Sasabe replied, “Look, I'm not sure if this'll make you feel better or worse, but here you go.”

He pulled back his own sleeve and when Makoto looked across, he saw that Sasabe didn't have a mark either. In all the years that Makoto had known his coach, he never realised. And it wasn't as if Sasabe was trying to hide it, working in the profession that he did. Makoto didn't know what to say. So he stayed quiet and let Sasabe carry on.

“I was about your age when I had my first kiss,” said Sasabe, “We'd been dating for sometime. I knew I was in love back then, still do, to be honest, but despite all our feelings, we didn't get a match.”

“Is that why you're alone now?” said Makoto.

“Wow, don't pull any punches, do you?” Sasabe replied, “But no, it's actually the opposite of that. We stayed together, even though we didn't get a match and soon enough... people stopped caring about that. All around us other people were discovering themselves – some of them did get a match and some of them didn't, it wasn't a big deal. I felt more sorry for the people who let those marks affect their relationships. In our case it was more that... well, you see, Fuka got an opportunity abroad. It was too good to miss and she'd worked very hard towards it. But we both knew that I couldn't go with her. I wanted what was best for my girl, so we talked about it and in the end, we decided to part ways. No way I could've slept at night knowing I'd held her back. Sure, we could've had a long distant relationship, but things were different back then and I didn't want her to waste her life waiting around for me if she could find happiness with someone else overseas. So we broke up because... we loved each other. Same reason we got together.”

“That's so sad... but also wonderful. You're a very kind person to do that,” Makoto replied. He didn't know anything about Sasabe's ex-partner, but he could imagine that she appreciated it and still loved Sasabe in return. Yet it didn't put all of his worries to rest; “...But does that mean that all people who don't get a match part ways in time?”

His chest felt tight at the thought of leaving Haru. Especially after they'd been talking about spending their future together last night.

“Heck no, not even close,” Sasabe replied, “I'm seeing Miho- ...I mean, uh, wonderful woman now and both of us are without those marks, but I've never felt so happy in years! Give it a few years and you might be hearing wedding bells at your school.” Sasabe did a bad job at hiding who he was talking about, but he continued, “And at the other end of the spectrum, I've got this friend I met recently, called Katsumi, who got a match with his high school boyfriend. They dated for years because of it, but that guy wasn't good for Katsumi... didn't treat him right. He said that breaking up was a hard choice, because he'd always been a big believer in fate, but once he did, he'd never felt so free. Now he's running his own business and not letting anyone hold him back, least of all some mark on his wrist.”

As Makoto sat there listening to these different stories, he realised that was what his dad had meant – there were lots of people with lots of different reasons for who they ended up with. It was just that in the Tachibana middle-of-the-road experience, none of them had a lot of examples to draw from. But Sasabe was different, he'd been around and seen so many people who'd led many different kinds of lives.

“...But the one thing they have in common is that they all made their own choice,” Makoto concluded.

“You got it,” Sasabe agreed, giving Makoto a pat on the back, “Even those who do get a match, they choose if they stay together or not. Those soulmate marks don't force 'em either way. It'd be pretty scary if they did...”

“Coach, I think I understand now,” said Makoto, getting to his feet, “I know what I want and I've... I've been very rude to Haru. He must be worried that he's done something wrong, when he was right all along. I have to go to him!”

“Hold on a minute, don't you think you should get changed first? You're still out here in your pyjamas,” Sasabe reminded him.

Makoto looked down and flushed with embarrassment as he realised this was the case. Before he sorted anything out, he should go get his clothes on...

 

* * *

 

By the time Makoto made it to school, the last bell had rung – he'd officially missed a full day of school. But even so, he came in his uniform because that felt right. Fortunately, his parents had both been out at work when Makoto had gone home to get changed, Coach Sasabe having given him a lift back on his bicycle. Makoto didn't feel ready to face his parents just yet, despite his firm decision.

The person Makoto wanted to face first was Haru. But it wasn't Haru who came out to greet him when he arrived.

“There you are, Mako-chan! We've been so worried about you,” Nagisa called. He bounded over and started tugging Makoto's arm, “You've gotta come to the pool already. Haru-chan won't practise at all. Did something happen between the two of you?”

“It... it did and it was my fault,” Makoto admitted, “But I want to sort it out now.”

If Haru wouldn't even swim, then that was a bad sign. Makoto followed Nagisa through to the pool, where Haru was waiting along with Rei and Gou. But contrary to how he'd usually be while this close to a body of water, Haru was fully dressed. He looked up when Makoto approached, eyes filled with worry. But Makoto tried to put him at ease.

“Haru... I'm sorry for this morning. I was overwhelmed and I was being silly, but I never meant to hurt you...” Makoto said.

But Haru shook his head; “Makoto... I'm sorry that I dismissed your worries and made you feel scared. I won't out you like this. I won't show my wrist if you don't want me to.”

Makoto stepped forward and took Haru's hands in his own. His resolve was firm and that seemed to bring Haru back from his worries. They looked into each other's eyes and suddenly they had all the answers. Haru knew that Makoto had reached a decision and Makoto knew that Haru had done in turn.

“I won't hold you back in your career over this, but I also won't leave you,” Makoto said, “Haru is my soulmate, the one that I've chosen myself.”

Behind them, their friends gasped.

“So it finally happened?”

“It's about time!”

“I knew you guys would get a match!”

They both turned to face the others, still holding hands and, despite everything, still smiling. There was no reason to worry now. Because Coach Sasabe was right, their real friends wouldn't abandon them over this. And Makoto knew that all of the people with them were real friends.

“We did get a match,” Makoto replied, “Though it seems that the cosmic forces of the universe didn't agree with us.”

He let go of Haru's hand and pulled back his sleeve to show his blank wrist. Next to him, Haru did the same. Their friends gathered around to see and Makoto braced himself for their reactions.

“That's just dumb! No one is more destined to be together than Haru-chan and Mako-chan! The stupid universe must be broken,” Nagisa hotly retorted. But then he added, “...Though not too broken, since Rei-chan and I got a match. And Rei-chan thought that love was illogical!”

“It took that moment to make me realise there might be something to it,” Rei agreed, “But maybe that's why the two of you didn't need it? You were both already so certain in your relationship that the universe had nothing to add.”

“That's a very nice way to look at it,” Makoto chuckled, “I honestly don't know, but I can't say I'm going to let it bother me any more.”

“So you shouldn't,” said Gou, “Everyone's just going to be glad to hear you guys are together, they're not going to care about the little details like that. Although Rin will want me to tell him all the little details, so I hope you're prepared for that.”

“After telling my parents, I'll be prepared for anyone. Right, Haru?” Makoto said.

“It's going to be fine,” said Haru. He reached down to take Makoto's hand again and gave it a little squeeze, “As long as we're together, it'll be fine.”

 

* * *

 

The rest of the afternoon went by in a daze, but a good one this time. Since Haru and Makoto had both missed practise, they stayed late to swim with the others and once they were done, the two of them headed home together. Part of Makoto was still worried about what they thought – a lifetime of conditioning couldn't be washed away in a single day – but Nagisa, Rei and Gou had seemed nothing but supportive.

Soon enough word would be out and Makoto would do nothing to hide it. He was proud to call Haru his partner and he'd not be ashamed of getting to be with the person he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. No matter what the universe thought about it.

But there were some people who Makoto didn't want to find out via hearsay.

He was nervous, more so than he'd ever been, but next to him, Haru kept holding his hand. Haru had been so patient with Makoto throughout all of this and Makoto hoped that soon Haru wouldn't have a reason to be. They walked up the path to Makoto's house together and when they got there, Makoto's parents were already waiting at the door, with Ren and Ran hovering behind them. All of their faces lit up when they saw the two of them holding hands. They must've thought they knew what was coming. And in a way, they did. Haru and Makoto were going to tell Makoto's family that they were together now. The reveal might be a little different to what was expected, but the end results would be the same. His family loved him, so Makoto knew that they'd accept it.

He took a deep breath.

“Mom, Dad... Haru and I have something to tell you...”


End file.
